From Shadow to Trial: The Last Chapter of the Baader-Meinhof Legacy
Former Red Army Faction Member Faces Justice After Decades in Hiding
After more than 30 years on the run, former Red Army Faction (RAF) member Daniela Klette is now standing trial in Germany. Arrested in February 2024 after being discovered living discreetly in Berlin, Klette, 66, faces charges including attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and illegal possession of firearms. The case sheds new light on the remnants of the Baader-Meinhof gang, one of Germany’s most infamous far-left militant groups.
Decades of Evasion Come to an End
For over three decades, Klette managed to avoid capture, allegedly funding her underground existence through a series of violent robberies between 1999 and 2016, alongside her accomplices, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg. While Staub (71) and Garweg (56) remain fugitives, Klette now faces life imprisonment if convicted.
Authorities discovered Klette living under a false Italian identity in a Berlin apartment, where they found an automatic rifle, explosives, and large sums of cash. Her arrest marked a significant breakthrough in the long-dormant investigation into the RAF’s final generation.
The Trial: A Historic Reckoning
The trial, held at the Higher Regional Court in Celle, is expected to last two years with testimony from 12 witnesses. Prosecutors accuse Klette and her accomplices of operating with extreme secrecy, using false identities, rented vehicles, and arson to cover their tracks.
A key charge against Klette stems from a 2015 armed robbery, during which she reportedly wielded a fake but realistic-looking bazooka. The prosecution alleges that the group stole approximately €2.7 million ($2.9 million) to sustain their lives in hiding.
Security Concerns and Public Reaction
Given the RAF’s violent history, authorities have heightened security measures at the courthouse. Police armed with machine pistols and sniffer dogs secured the area, while a group of 50 supporters gathered outside, holding banners and playing punk music in solidarity with Klette.
Despite the RAF’s official disbandment in 1998, remnants of its ideology persist among radical leftist groups. The trial of Daniela Klette revives painful memories of Germany’s turbulent past and the lasting impact of extremist movements.
A Legacy of Violence and Resistance
The Red Army Faction, named after its early leaders Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, emerged from 1960s student protests with an anti-imperialist and anti-fascist ideology. The group was responsible for a wave of attacks, including:
- The assassination of a German bank chief
- The kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer, a former SS officer
- A 1991 attack on the US Embassy in Bonn, which Klette is separately accused of orchestrating
- A 1993 explosives attack on a German prison
The Final Chapter?
As Daniela Klette’s trial unfolds, it marks a rare moment of justice for the victims of the RAF’s brutal campaign. With Staub and Garweg still at large, the case also raises the question: Is this truly the end of the Baader-Meinhof saga, or are there more secrets yet to be uncovered?